Buying Top Of The Line Gps!

[Budbrew]

I need some suggestions on what would be a good GPS for me to buy. I am looking at using it mainly for hunting and hiking. Money is not a factor because I plan on buying a top of the line unit. I really want a color GPS, one that I can store detail maps with topographics. Also a built in compass would be a plus! Please help.

[+Langner91]

Top of the line handhelds = Garmin 76CS, Magellan Explorist 600, or Lowrance iFinder phd or hunt (currently not color, but soon the PHD will be offered in color).

 

I would go with the Garmin, but that's just me.

 

EDIT: Just re-read the OP and noticed he/she likes color.

Edited August 26, 2005 by Langner91

[+BlueDeuce]

I lean towards using the 76cs in the car for navigation. The 60cs is better suited to the field for it's somewhat a smaller/trimmer size.

[+wornout]

I lean towards using the 76cs in the car for navigation. The 60cs is better suited to the field for it's somewhat a smaller/trimmer size.

If money is no object, buy both...

Edited August 26, 2005 by wornout

[+tirediron]

I would say the 76CS if you have a lot of maps to store, but if not, the 60CS.

[+-=(GEO)=-]

Check out Trimble if $$ is no object

[Budbrew]

Keep the ideas coming!

[+Rubberhead]

http://www.garmin.com/products/gpsmap376c/

 

and

 

http://www.garmin.com/products/etrexVistac/

 

All the bases will be covered.

[+scott9282]

One bit of advice I can give you is this, and while it sounds simple, it really isn't:

 

Buy the GPSr you will actually want to use. What I mean is this... getting something with every bell and whistle on it that you can imagine does you no good if you don't want to carry the thing. Go and try out different GPSr units in your hand. See which ones fit. Try and find out what the "learning curve" is for different units. Are you going to be spending more time with a manual or using the thing?

 

I know it sounds simple, but had I actually had this advice when I bought my magellan, I would've bought a Garmin instead. Live and learn.

[+Miragee]

Even though you can afford more GPSr than the Vista C, it might be the one you want because it is small and can fit in your pocket.

 

It auto-routes as well as my friend's 60CS, but I like the way it fits in my hand better.

[+Thrak]

I bought the Garmin GPSMAP 76CS - mainly for Geocaching but also for use in my truck/car. I like it a lot. Some folks have said it is a bit "bulky" but I think they must have small hands or something because mine fits my hand nicely. It has a USB connector (cable included) for faster downloading of maps and waypoints. It has a backlight and is WAAS capable and also has an electronic compass - something I really like. Those 3 features use batteries faster but I don't really care. You can set the color scheme somewhat and it can automagically switch to your night time settings at sunset according to your location. The unit has 115 MB of memory - the largest capacity in the Garmin handheld line - so it can hold a pretty fair amount of data for trips.

 

It has a color screen, does autorouting and has a "decent" base map but I'd purchase CitySelect if you really want good maps. It retails for somewhere around $589 and with tax would cost me $632 or so here in Northern California. I got mine new in the box delivered to my door for $397 from eBay. Of course CitySelect, external antenna, truck mount, cigarette lighter cord, Invisible Shield screen protector, 15 minute battery charger, rechargable batteries, etc. all cost extra.

 

Check out the Garmin GPSMAP 76CS here: http://www.garmin.com/products/gpsmap76cs/

[Budbrew]

The only thing I don't like about the Garmins is that you cannot expand memory....bummer. What does everyon think about the up coming units the Magellan XL, and Lowrance PHD C?

[+Miragee]

How much traveling are you going to be doing? With USB, it doesn't take long to replace maps for one area with those for another. We've done that on the fly using the laptop in the car.

Edited August 27, 2005 by Miragee

[+embra]

It does depend on what you want or need the expandable memory for...the amount of internal memory on many newer GPS units can indeed take care of the needs of most people.

 

That being said, I'll put in a word for the Maggies and expandable memory. Swapping mapfiles (e.g., street maps and topo maps) in and out of active memory is nice, although I could probably live within the confines of 115MB internal memory. What I would miss, though, is the ability to swap waypoint files in and out. I can travel around with a half-dozen waypoint files of about 150 caches each and again as many files of benchmarks organized by counties. I can load any one that I am interested in and *not* have to deal with a bunch of other waypoints that I am *not* interested in at that moment. The SD card serves as a little hard drive that lets you store and use files selectively when you choose.

 

For hiking, the explorist might be a better bet than the XL just because of size. I had a Meridian (about the same size as the XL) and I got used to it, but I like the smaller size of the explorist for slipping into my pocket easily. My 500 has been quite stable in operation, but the 600 seems to have its share of problems out of the starting gate. The XL looks nice if a larger display is important. Autorouting is weaker on the Magellans than the Garmins...it's only basic.

 

The Lowrance PHD C may be nice...I don't know much about them, but the Lowrance advocates here seem pleased; I haven't heard much in the way of complaints about them. There also was a rumor this summer that Garmin might come out with an SD-capable model in the fall...no sign of it yet, though, and a person can spend a lot of time waiting.

[+merlot]

I bought a Garmin76cs in May. This unit replaces my Garmen76s. This week in Jackson Hole, WY we used both units. The 76cs kept a lock almost the entire day with trees and cliffs all around. While in the SUV we just keep it on the dash or the center console. While hiking I often just keep it in my shirt pocket, cargo pocket of my shorts or in the nylon cover on my belt. I love the unit. The older 76s doesn't have as good a lock and battery life as the new unit. The amount of memory of the 76cs is valuable for adding vehicle navigation maps and topo maps. I don't know why people complain about the size. I like the screen and big buttons and am carrying it all day hiking. Battery life of the new unit is great but I carry extra batteries just in case.

[+BlueDeuce]

Where do you live? Flat lands? mountains? etc.

[+Thrak]

I bought a Garmin76cs in May.  This unit replaces my Garmen76s.  This week in Jackson Hole, WY we used both units.  The 76cs kept a lock almost the entire day with trees and cliffs all around.  While in the SUV we just keep it on the dash or the center console.  While hiking I often just keep it in my shirt pocket, cargo pocket of my shorts or in the nylon cover on my belt.  I love the unit.  The older 76s doesn't have as good a lock and battery life as the new unit.  The amount  of memory of the 76cs is valuable for adding vehicle navigation maps and topo maps. I don't know why people complain about the size. I like the screen and big buttons and am carrying it all day hiking.  Battery life of the new unit is great but I carry extra batteries just in case.

Yeah. I bought the regular Garmin case for my 76CS. No plastic window or anything. I hook the case to my "Indiana Jones" bag (what I call my Geocaching bag ) on the strap with a carabiner I got from a cache. It's well protected and rides nicely. Sure I have to remove it from the case to look at it but it is easy to remove and when I get close to the cache I just pop the unit back into the case and kind of "half zip" it for security. It keeps a good lock while riding along in the case. For the most part it keeps a good lock while riding in the cupholder in the center console/armrest of my truck but I did purchase an external antenna since I'm taking a trip half way across the US next month.

 

I do have to agree with the folks who can't understand why the Garmin is so limited in memory though. I'm a bit of a computer geek and I know how cheap memory is these days. There is really NO valid reason for these units not to accept removable memory.

[+briansnat]

The only thing I don't like about the Garmins is that you cannot expand memory....bummer. What does everyon think about the up coming units the Magellan XL, and Lowrance PHD C?

Unless you are traveling frequently and widely, it really isn't an issue. The 115 megs in the 76CS will cover several states. If you do travel well out of area, it takes 2 minutes to load the new maps.

 

As far as the upcoming eXplorist XL and PHD C, its hard to give an opinion about a unit that nobody out side the manufacturer has even seen.

 

There is really NO valid reason for these units not to accept removable memory.

 

Removable memory isn't all its cracked up to be. The first time you head out with the wrong memory card in your unit you will figure that out fast. On the other hand, there is no reason they can't have units a with gig of built in memory. Now THATS a GSP that would get my attention.

Edited August 27, 2005 by briansnat

[+JohnnyVegas]

I just got a 1GB card for my Explorist 500, $49.00 after rebate from Frys. Now I am going to have to do a bunch of traveling so that I can use all the maps it will hold.

[tttedzeins]

Check out Trimble if $$ is no object

If I had the spare money I would definately go with one of these. You can't go wrong

[Budbrew]

Are Lowrance good units to go with as far as topography use for hunting.

[+briansnat]

Are Lowrance good units to go with as far as topography use for hunting.

They are an excellent choice as the topo info really stands out on the screen. They are a bit on the large side, but if that isn't an issue, it would be a great choice.

 

BTW I'm referring to iFinder units with Mapcreate Topo. Not the Go or Go2 units which don't contain any topo info on their maps.

[+scottjl]

I just got a 1GB card for my Explorist 500, $49.00 after rebate from Frys. Now I am going to have to do a bunch of traveling so that I can use all the maps it will hold.

and that's exactly the point with all that memory. who travels that much in one day or needs ALL those maps loaded up at once for realistic use?

 

memory is a double edged sword in GPSr.

 

most of us say "8mb" is too low because we're so used to seeing 512M or more on everyday items (even cell phones). but realistically 8mb is fine to hold maps for a day's worth of geocaching. 24mb is a luxury. beyond that is more than i bet 99% of the people here need for most of their trips.

 

should garmin up the memory amounts on their units? sure. bigger is better, right? but we don't know the full story. there may be technical limitations, or cost factors involved. more memory does require more physical space for the chips, or more expensive chips. people don't want units that are larger and heavier to hold, and equipment costs get passed down to the consumer in item costs.

 

please, show me anyone who can travel and explore 1G of maps in a single day (no, flying on a plane doesn't count). i can load a 12 hr drive's worth of maps into my 60CS (56M) and still have plenty of room to spare. 1G is nice, but a luxury and overkill. loading maps on most units is fast and simple enough to swap. i'm also betting people who buy a 1G card never buy another so the "well i can swap cards" rarely comes into play either.

 

now what i would like to see, is a GPS that connects via bluetooth to my system. let's cut the cord already..

[+BoomerFZ1]

Man I just bought the 60cs after a not-yet-resolved issue the a eXplorist 600 and Harmony Computers and I can't be more happy. This unit is just about perfect for everything I do. I chose the cs because I mountain bike allot and love the altimeter function. I can assume the c is great if you'll just be caching and driving with it.

[PodunkPaul]

On the other hand, there is no reason they can't have units a with gig of built in memory. Now THATS a GSP that would get my attention.

I agree with that statement 100%!! I am happy to use a 1 gig SD card in my MeriPlat, because I have other uses (camera, iPAQ) for it when I am not caching, but having more built in memory on any device would be great!

 

Everybody make the statement, heck, just take a couple minutes to load a new map, what's the big deal. If that were the case we'd all still be using computers with dual floppies and swapping programs in and out of memory. Heck, that was no big deal, then...

[Budbrew]

Hey Briansnat I have a question for you. If you had to buy a new GPS what would you buy and why?